A home true to its name, Serene brings minimalist calm to London’s Queens Park

This textured, new-build home by Coeus London was created to foster a sense of ‘slowing down’ and a connection with nature in the heart of the city

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view of interiors of Coeus London - Serene, a brick residential structure with a lush garden
(Image credit: Simon Deen)

Serene was designed by Coeus London, a dynamic architecture and property studio, with the aim to create a house that helps its users slow down and enjoy life. The new-build home in London's Queens Park fosters comfort and warmth through natural light, carefully selected materials and an important connection with a lush and quiet walled garden. It was crafted by the Coeus team together with developer Kyte Property and design consultancy Cavendish Studios, which is behind the interior direction.

view of geometric brick structure by Coeus London - Serene

(Image credit: Courtesy Coeus)

Step inside Serene, a leafy London home by Coeus

'So often, houses are put up in haste,' says studio director Dimitrios Dakos, who led the architecture at Coeus alongside colleague and fellow architect Eleanor Pedley. 'You can tell when something’s been designed to look good for a moment, not for a lifetime. We wanted to design for the people who’d still be here in 30 years.'

view of interiors of Coeus London - Serene, a brick residential structure with a lush garden

(Image credit: Simon Deen)

Centred on clarity and the opposite of London life's speedy pace, the home is designed around a central, circular staircase. Spanning two floors, it brings subtle drama through views and luxurious materials (think, elegant and durable limewashed walls, warm terracotta pavers, poured concrete floors and oak cabinetry), although the overarching atmosphere is underpinned by a soft minimalism and a leafy, mature garden that encircles the living spaces.

view of interiors of Coeus London - Serene, a brick residential structure with a lush garden

(Image credit: Simon Deen)

It was important to get the balance right, and it was not an easy task. 'We had the vision early on,' says Pedley, who helped mastermind the project's engineering elements. 'But the logistics were character-building. We had countless conversations over the structure just to ensure it would stand.'

view of interiors of Coeus London -Serene, a brick residential structure with a lush garden

(Image credit: Simon Deen)

Working on a speculative build destined to go on the market was another challenge, but one that offered its advantages too. 'There wasn’t a specific client,' Pedely explains, 'but we knew the area. We knew it needed to flex. A house that’s family-friendly without being overly prescriptive.' Three bedrooms upstairs and a generous open-plan living area downstairs provided ample living space for the right buyer.

view of interiors of Coeus London - Serene, a brick residential structure with a lush garden

(Image credit: Simon Deen)

Meanwhile, the garden brings an essential connection with nature through its carefully planned but naturalistic feel. Dakos says, 'We wanted it to settle in slowly. Like the house itself, we know it will only get better with time.'

coeuslondon.com

Ellie Stathaki
Ellie Stathaki

Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).